Herefordshire couple's journey to save "500-year-old wreck"

Having secured their 'derelict dream home in the sun' for just 55,000 euros, Herefordshire couple Clare and Ian set themselves a £20,000 budget to restore the 500-year-old house and create a comfortable holiday home in France.

Front of house exterior

The project was documented for Discovery+'s My Dream Derelict Home in the Sun, but it proved to be a longer and more eventful journey than they'd anticipated, thanks to the arrival of Covid and the travel restrictions that brought.

Clare & Ian outside house

Clare and Ian, who live in a village to the west of Herefordshire, embarked on the project after Ian had recovered from throat cancer. "Thirty years ago, I might not have survived this," says Ian, an engineer by training. "You have to be grateful for every day and take each day as it comes. When stuff like that happens, you do think you have to get on and make the most of what you've got, do the best you can and doing what you want to do makes you braver."

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Living room alternative

"After Ian's illness we wanted to do something that would challenge us," adds Clare. "We wanted something that would frighten us as well!

"We fell in love with the French charm of the house," says Clare. "But it was a 500-year-old wreck."

Bedroom

Clare was smitten immediately but "my husband wasn't quite as enthusiastic at that point." She says now that she suspects him of having adopted a poker face in order to negotiate on the price! One cheeky offer later, and the house was theirs.

Kitchen

With a commitment to upcycling, recycling, reusing and doing it themselves, the couple are now well on the way to transforming the property in Chenay, a part of France that's reminiscent of Herefordshire, with a 10 mile journey to a supermarket.

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"When we moved in it was a clean canvas, and hadn't been decorated since the 1970s," says Clare, a former bank manager with Halifax in Hereford and Leominster. "It was scary but it meant that we could see what needed doing immediately."

Living room

As work progressed, it turned out that there were a couple of things that weren't visible and threatened their tight budget – a lintel above the guest bedroom window and damp in the cellar, where they have created a unique rustic bar.

With a second-hand kitchen secured for just £62 and a stylish bath for £40, Clare and Ian have become masters of upcycling. "We are keen DIYers, though we have no building experience, but my husband has fitted kitchens and bathrooms in the past," says Clare.

Bar area

"If I can do it, anyone can," Ian laughs on the show.

Ian, though, is not the only one putting his skills to the test. Having knocked through a wall to create a light and spacious kitchen diner, Clare taught herself how to repoint the exposed stonework which is now a major feature of the room, and has taken on the restoration of the huge stone fireplaces.

Exterior of finished house alternative

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Although they are now planning five visits this year to Chenay, Clare admits it's not as often as they'd like, and she and Ian are now looking forward to retirement in five years' time and more trips to their second home, where there's "perfect peace and quiet". It is, says Clare, "like Herefordshire was 50 years ago."

Clare & Ian posed outside house alternative

See My Dream Derelict Home in the Sun on Discovery+